Traffic-controlling apparatus.



A. V. T. DAY.

TRAFFIC CONTROLLING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-4,1911.

Patented May 30, 1916.

wvit mqowo: A

ALBERT v. T. DAY, or NEW ROCHELLE-NEW YORK.

"TBAFFIC-GON'IROLIJING APPARATUS.

To'dZZ whom it may concern:

, Be it. known that I, ALBERT V. T. DAY, a I citizen of the UnitedStates,,residing at New Rochelle, in the county of l/Vestchester andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTraflic- Controlling Apparatus, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein tothe accompanying drawings,

forming part thereof.

My invention relates to train-controlling and signaling apparatus of theclass which controls the movement of railway trains by automaticallyapplying the air brakes, and

which exhibits a signal on the train, generally classified as a cabsignal.

The objects of my invention are to reliably exhibit to the engine driveror motorman a signal indicating the condition of the track ahead, and toautomatically prevent the train from approaching a danger zone showingone form and arrangement of apathigh speed, while permitting the traintoapproach a, danger zone at lower speed.

I will describe one form. and arrangementof apparatus embodying myinvention, and

.will then point outthe' novel feature'there/ of in av claim. 4

The accompanying drawing is a viewp aratus embodying my invention.

Referring now to the accompanying draw ing, 15 is a wheel of a railwaytrain or vehicle m'ovingfrom left to right on the rails R of a railwaytrack divided-into successive signaling blocks by the usual insu-' latedrail ,joints at the successive signal posts A, B and C.

The rails of each block are included in a circuit controlling the homesignal H at the rear end of the block, and traceable from the trackbattery 2 through one track rail R, track relay 3, the other rail R,back to the battery. The semaphores H are controlled by theirrespectively adjacent track relay through well known intermediary means,and each distant-signal semaphore D may be controlled by the conditionof the block second in advance, by any standard method. Each. homesignal H operates a contact 7-8 for a purpose hereinafter set forth. 7

Located on the vehicle is a shaft 16 Which is. driven through bevelgears by the axle of the vehicle wheel 15, and which carries acentrifugal speed-controlled device 18 including the usual weightsconnected in the,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed Au gust 4, 1911. I Serial N0.-642,23 2.h

Patented May 30, 191

usual manner with a collar slidable on the shaft 16,'so that the collaris raised by the centrifugal tendency of the weights, a

variable elevation" depending on the speed of tliewehicle.

, Ana/ir pipe 23 leads from the usual trairr pipe of the air brakesystem, through a hand valve 24 to a discharge orifice controlled bya-cone' seated valve 59 connected with the armature 60 of'the magnet 12so that the valve will be closed. while themagnet is energized, but willfall open when the mag net is deenergized, thus permitting the escape ofair from the train pipe, and applying the brakes. I

The semaphore-controlled contacts 7, 8', when closed, energize theprimary circuit of an induction coil 26, as follows: from thetraimcontrolling batter 25, 1 through contacts 7, 8, primary win ing ofthe induction coil, contact spring 27, vibrating armature 28 andconnecting wire back to the battery.

The terminals 31 and 32 of the secondary I winding of the induction coilare connected with a condenser 64 and spark electrodes 29 and 30,asindicated, and each time the primary circuit is broken by thevibrating armature, the secondary winding buildsup a. static charge inthe condenser and spark electrodes until the dielectric between theelectrodes breaks down and this charge is delivered across the gap. Whenthis spark occurs, electrical oscillations are communicated from onespark electrode 30 through 2L COI1I18Cl31Ilg'W11e 65 to a wave wire ortraincontrolling conductor W- extending through the block in rear, andthiswave wire in turn,

delivers Hertzian wayes or dielectric waves in all directions.

A short wave receiving wire or antenna 33 is carried by the traininparallelism with the wave wire and close thereto, and receives therefromelectrlc oscillatlons communicated through the intervening dielectric,each time that the wave wire is energized by a discharge at the sparkelectrodes. Theantenna communicates the oscillations, through the wire34 to one electrode of a coherer 35, the other electrode of which isgrounded on the vehicle shaft through a wire 36. Each time thedisruptive dischargeoccurs at the sparking electrodes, theelectric-oscillations in the coherer close the following localcircuit-on the vehicle: from one pole of the vehicle battery 45 throughthe wire 34:, coherer 35,

wire 36, magnet 42, and connecting wire back to the battery. Eachtime-this local circuit is closed, the magnet 42 attracts its thereuponkicked back by a sprin ing on the .tappet arm, wherebythe arma--armature'39 until it makes contact with the spring 41 and the tapper37carried by the armature s'trikesthe coherer to-decohere its particles,thus again breaking the circuit of the magnet 42, the armature of whichis 38 bearture breaks contact with the spring 41 and 'restablishescontactw'ith the stop 40, which their armatures 56 and 53 during theshort the-armature- 39 is vibrating.

contact was broken by the attraction of the armature, The armature 39 isnow ready t0 be again attracted in response to the next dischargebetweenthe spark electrodes 29 and 30, and thus it is kept vibrating solong as the'train is approaching a clear home signal. I

The vibration of the armature 39 and, natelycloses the followingcircuits local to the vehicle: one circuit leading from the vehiclebattery through the wire 66, an mature-39,-conta ct stop 40, Wire 52,slow acting magnet 44 and conductor 46 back to the .battery; and theother circuit from the same battery throughthe same wire 66 and armature39, and thence by 'a different course thi'ough'thecontact spring 41,connecting wire, and slow acting magnet 43*to I the conductor 46 andthence back to thebat tery, The magnets '43and 44are rendered slowacting by copper sleeves 5Z and 58 surrounding their-cores, so'that'they retain cessations of current in the magnets while But whenthe armature 39 ceases itsvibration, one of the slow acting magnetsisvc'ontinuouslydeenergized and releases its. armature, and

thus opens the following local circuit, which remains closed so long asthe armature 39 is vibratingzfrpm the local vehicle battery 45, through:the wire 66, armature 56. of the slow a cting magnet, 43, contact stop55, connecting wire, contact stop 54, armature 53 of slow acting magnet44-, conductor 48, and thence in parallel through the net will keep thebrake-applying valve 59 messes closed; but as soon as the train ispresent in a block in. rear of an occupied block,

and exceeding a predetermined low speed, the light of the signal lamp isextinguished to'indicate caution, and the brakes are applied by: thevalve 59. But when the train is slowed down to thepredetermined lowspeed While approaching a home signal in stop position, the collar 17 ofthe speedcontrolled device will be lowered until an insulating disk 5.1on its lower edge presses the contact spring 49 against the contact stop50, thus clo'sing another local circuit for the signallamp andvalve-controlling magnet, which maybe traced as follows:

from the vehicle battery 45 through the wire 66, armature-'39,contact-stop 40, conductor 52, contacts 50, 49,-wire 67, and thence inparallel. through, the signal. lamp 47 and valve-controlling magnet 12to the conduc- 601146 and thence back to the battery. By closure ofthe'toregoing circuit While ,the

train speed is reducedto the predetermined limit, the signal lamp islighted and the brake valve'59 closed so that the brakes may bereleased,and the train may proceed without impediment.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form and arrangementof apparatus embodying my invention, it is understood that variousmodifications may be made therein within the scope of the fol lowingclaim without departing from the spirit and scope-of my invention.

Tclaim: l V

In combination, two successive sections of a railway track, atrain-controlling conductor. extending through the rear of saidsections, means for producing high-potential oscillating current, atrack circuittor the advance section for controlling the supply ofenergy from said producing means to saidconductor, a railway vehicle,vehiclecontrolling means thereon controlled by oscillations receivedfrom said conductor while the vehicle is in the rear section to permitunretarded progress of the vehicle, .L

and speed-responsive means on the vehicle for controlling said vehcle-controlling means to permit progress of the vehicle at reduced speedafter cessation of energy from said conductor.

In testimony whereof T have affixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

- ALBERT V. T. DAY. Witnesses VICTOR D. BURST,

-'WM. ASHLEY KELLY.

